Filmmaker Kiran Rao expresses concern over films with ‘regressive’ messaging

‘You could have pushed the needle’

Filmmaker Kiran Rao has noticed how some films with highly ‘regressive’ messaging have been minting money at the box office. She confessed that this trend hurts her. In an interview with Film Companion, Kiran opened up about the responsibility of a filmmaker to ‘push the needle’.

‘Every filmmaker has his own goal’

Kiran did not name any film or filmmaker in particular when she said, “I suppose all filmmakers set out to make good films, the intention is often great. But so much has changed in terms of the market. The audience now has so many more options and you are reaching for all kinds of attention, when you’re making a film. So I suppose, when it is a really regressive sort of messaging, and it makes hundreds of crores, it hurts. Because you had the opportunity and you could have pushed the needle in some direction and you didn’t. So those are the things that sometimes bother me.”

Laapataa Ladies at Toronto

Kiran is currently at the 2023 Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF) with her film Laapataa Ladies. Set in 2001, in rural India, Laapataa Ladies follows the jolly mess that ensues when two young brides went missing from a train. The film boasts an ensemble cast, including Nitanshi Goel, Pratibha Ranta, Sparsh Shrivastava, Chhaya Kadam, and Ravi Kishan in pivotal roles.

Laapataa Ladie is bankrolled by Kiran’s former husband Aamir Khan’s banner Aamir Khan Production and her own venture Kindling Productions.

The screenplay and dialogues have been written by Sneha Desai while the additional dialogues have been jotted down by Divyanidhi Sharma. The film will be released on January 5, 2024.